We chuckled as we chopped the ingredients for this “cleaning out the fridge meal”, because most of the ingredients start with a |k| sound if you mix the English and Japanese names.
I wasn’t sure cauliflower and kabu (turnip) would go well together, but these mild Japanese turnips were an excellent match. Komatsuba, a bitter green leaf similar to spinach but more astringent, and mini tomatoes added a nice acidity to the dish. Kinoko (mushrooms), beef and garlic rounded out the flavors. There’s no special seasoning except a splash of leftover Cabernet.
Although it’s really beyond the end of stew season, I can’t help making them on chillier early summer evenings. I love making them in the oven. After you put them in, covered so they steam themselves cooked, you can leave them alone to do their stewing and there’s no worry of an unattended open flame on the stove top.
K Stew
serves 2-4
2 small turnips (kabu)
1/4 head cauliflower
1 carrot
1 bunch komatsuba
1 cup mushrooms (kinoko)
4 mini tomatoes
1/2 cup Cabernet
300 gr stew beef
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
olive oil
water
salt & pepper to taste
Cut the ingredients into bite sized pieces.
In an oven-proof casserole with a lid, brown the beef in a bit of olive oil. Add the garlic and allow to brown. Pour in the cabernet. Add all the vegetables and mix well. Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer until the komatsuba wilts.
Cover casserole with the lid and put into a 160 C oven for about an 90 minutes, stirring once or twice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Posted by kuri at May 25, 2006 11:31 AM